Pyrrolobenzodiazepines (PBDs) have been shown to be able to recognize and bind to specific sequences of DNA. The most preferred sequence is PuGPu (Purine-Guanine-Purine). The first PBD antitumour antibiotic, anthramycin, was discovered in 1965 (Leimgruber et al., 1965 J. Am. Chem. Soc., 87, 5793-5795; and Leimgruber et al., 1965 J. Am. Chem. Soc., 87, 5791-5793). Since then, a number of naturally occurring PBDs have been reported, and over 10 synthetic routes have been developed to a variety of analogues (Thurston et al., 1994 Chem. Rev. 1994, 433-465). Family members include abbeymycin (Hochlowski et al., 1987 J. Antibiotics, 40, 145-148), chicamycin (Konishi et al., 1984 J. Antibiotics, 37, 200-206), DC-81 (Japanese Patent 58-180 487; Thurston et al., 1990, Chem. Brit., 26, 767-772; and Bose et al., 1992 Tetrahedron, 48, 751-758), mazethramycin (Kuminoto et al., 1980 J. Antibiotics, 33, 665-667), neothramycins A and B (Takeuchi et al., 1976 J. Antibiotics, 29, 93-96), porothramycin (Tsunakawa et al., 1988 J. Antibiotics, 41, 1366-1373), prothracarcin (Shimizu et al, 1982 J. Antibiotics, 29, 2492-2503; and Langley and Thurston, 1987 J. Org. Chem., 52, 91-97), sibanomicin (DC-102; Hara et al., 1988 J. Antibiotics, 41, 702-704; and Itoh et al., 1988 J. Antibiotics, 41, 1281-1284), sibiromycin (Leber et al., 1988 J. Am. Chem. Soc., 110, 2992-2993) and tomamycin (Arima et al., 1972 J. Antibiotics, 25, 437-444).
PBDs are of the general structure:

The PBDs differ in the number, type and position of substituents, in both their aromatic A rings and pyrrolo C rings, and in the degree of saturation of the C ring. In the B-ring there is either an imine (N═C), a carbinolamine (NH—CH(OH)) or a carbinolamine methyl ether (NH—CH(OMe)) at the N10-C11 position which is the electrophilic centre responsible for alkylating DNA. All of the known natural products have an (S)— configuration at the chiral C11a position which provides them with a right-handed twist when viewed from the C ring towards the A ring. This gives them the appropriate three-dimensional shape for isohelicity with the minor groove of B-form DNA, leading to a snug fit at the binding site (Kohn, 1975 In Antibiotics III. Springer-Verlag, New York, pp. 3-11; and Hurley and Needham-VanDevanter, 1986 Acc. Chem. Res., 19, 230-237). Their ability to form an adduct in the minor groove enables them to interfere with DNA processing, hence their use as antitumor agents.
Despite the existence of such PBDs, there still exists a need in the art for derivatives or modifications of PBDs having attractive biological activity, e.g., ones that are able to bind to DNA, such that cellular transcription and gene expression are inhibited. Such compounds could then be used in methods of treating diseases in which it is useful to inhibit gene expression, e.g., cancer and other hyperproliferative diseases, as well, as diseases caused by viral, parasitic, or bacterial infections.
The invention provides such compounds. This and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.